Montrealers march as plan for Ahuntsic-Cartierville shelter comes to halt

A plan to build a shelter for the unhoused in Montreal’s Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough has been cancelled as Fondation Gracia, the organization which planned to sell its building – located on Bois-de-Boulogne – to the city, has pulled out of the deal.

The move comes amid neighbourhood residents’ safety concerns, as the new facility would have been located near a CLSC, CHSLD and near Château de Grand-Mère preschool.

“There are almost more than 3,000 kids around, so it doesn’t make any sense,” said Rachel Rakhi, spokesperson from the mobilization committee of Bordeaux-Cartierville.

“Unhoused people should get help, absolutely. We have to rehabilitate them, we have to give them help. But this is not the right place,” Rakhi told CityNews.

The building would have been an opportunity to offer services to vulnerable people in the borough, and to accommodate up to 50 people experiencing homelessness. City council approved the building purchase in June and planned to sublet the site to the Social Development Society, which manages a 24/7 shelter that must vacate its temporary space in Verdun on July 31.

Whether the city will opt for another location in Ahuntsic-Cartierville is to be determined.

Michel Desrosiers, director of Château de Grand-Mère preschool said the situation is “a reminder of the importance of collaboration.”

He added: “We wish the project could be realized, but it’s the proximity with the CPE and with the kids. We understand that people in situations of homelessness are vulnerable people, but children are too and we have a social responsibility to protect them.”

Meanwhile, Rakhi hopes the borough’s efforts will serve as an example for other Montreal neighbourhoods navigating similar issues.

CityNews reported on the announcement in early July where the city of Montreal clarified they were aware of the concerns around moving the housing service.

As residents of Ahuntsic-Cartierville hope for consultation going forward, Sam Watts, housing expert and CEO of Welcome Hall Mission says thorough planning is key.

“We need certain facilities in many different areas. The question is what and where,” Watts told CityNews.

On Friday, Welcome Hall Mission celebrated the handing of keys over to the 400th candidate housed through their own rapid housing program – known as Programme Bienvenue.

“The ultimate answer is you need the right facility for the right kind of service, in the right place, run by the right organization. When you do that, everything works. When you don’t do that, or when you rush the process, then you have all kinds of concerns and many of them are legitimate,” Watts said.